Shoe holder and stretcher



March 14, 1950 c. E. DENTON SHOE HOLDER AND STRETCI-IER Filed 061;. 15,1948 Patented Mar. 14, 1959 UNITED STTiFf 3 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe supports and suspension means, andparticularly to a shoe holder for individually supporting each shoe ofapair.

The main object of my invention is to provide means for supporting ashoe in suspended condition for restoring and maintaining its shape.

Another object is to provide means serving not only for supporting orsuspending a shoe, but also for stretching the shoe when required.

A further object is to provide a shoe holder or support in the form of aprojecting bracket adapted for attachment to a door, door post or Wall,and serving to hold the shoe in suspended accessible position so that itmay be cleaned and shined at will.

It is also an object to have a shoe holder of the indicated characterwhich is adjustable to any size of shoe, and in addition, is capable ofstraightening and stretching the shoe mounted thereon to any extentdesired.

A practical object is to make such a shoe holder light and simple inconstruction so as to be readily handled and obtainable at a reasonablecost, while not likely to get out of order.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in furtherdetail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for aproper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention isillustrated on the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and inwhich:

Figure l is a side elevation of a shoe holder and stretcher madeaccording to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form,the holder being shown as attached to a wall and supporting a shoe insuspended condition;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the shoe holder and stretcher of Figure l, asseen from above in the latter figure, the shoe being omitted to clarifythe view;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 33 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentar section partially duplicating a portion ofFigure 3, and showing the heel member of the latter in a different position than as shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a similar fragmentary section showing the mentioned heelmember in a different position than that of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the heel member of Figures 3, 4 and 5, asseen from above.

In the various views, the same reference numerals indicate the same orlike parts.

When shoes are taken off, they are usually placed on the floor, in aclothes closet, or on a shelf, etc., and allowed to remain in Whatevershape they have acquired in use and to dry and cool off in more or lessbent or distorted condition. Aside from tending to retain the acquiredshape, the shoes also frequently shrink a little while cooling anddrying. Moreover, if the shoes are to be cleaned and shined before againbeing used, this is done by the troublesome method of hold-ing and.dealing with the shoes one at a time in time-honored fashion.Occasionally, shoe trees are inserted into the shoes individually torestore and retain proper shape therein, but even then the shoes withthe shoe trees are simply placed on the floor or on a rack or shelf, butthis scarcely facilitates cleaning and polishing the shoes thusequipped, as they must still be handled in substantially the same wayand are then even heavier than when not provided with shoe trees. Shouldthe shoes require stretching, such an operation must be performed by aspecial and independent device beyond the scope of an ordinary shoetree.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that means shouldbe available for supporting a pair of shoes out of contact with thefloor and in position where they will be first of all accessibleforcleaning and polishing the same, and then also definitely held in propershape, and also adjustabl fitted upon the supporting means whatever thsize of the shoe involved, not to mention that it would seem highlydesirable to have the shoe support capable in each case of stretchingthe shoe if required. As a result, I have succeeded in producing asuspension holder or support and stretcher for shoes, as will now beparticularly explained and described.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring again to thedrawing, a shoe holder, generally indicated at l, primarily includes aforwardly and downwardly-bent bracket 8 which consists of two bracketmembers 9, ill having the upper end portions ii, [2 thereof divergingand terminating in a pair of attachment lugs 13, I l attached to a wallor the like l5 by means of screws l6, It. In order to iii: the bracket 8and both bracket members 9, ll) thereof rigidly in place, anupwardly-inclined brace l'i having an attachment lug l8v at the lowerend thereof is secured by a further screw Hi to wall to, while the upperend 119 is twisted into a vertical plane and is secured to members 9 andit by means of a rivet 20.

Both bracket members 9 and I are arched downwardly to form a pair ofdownwardly-inclined bracket or rack members 2| and 22 terminating at thelower ends thereof in a pair of forwardly-projecting ends 231, 24, whileupon said inclined members 2| and 22 immediately above the junctionthereof with the forwardly-projecting ends 23 and 24 is mounted a woodenshoe block 25 upon a rivet 25, the block having a rearwardly-open slot2'1 which extends a limited distance forwardly and upwardly from thelower surface 28 of block 25. Between projections 23 and 24 is a stripof leather 29 secured by nails or pins 35, 35 to the inside of block 25within slot 21. The purpose of leather strip 29 is to frictionally holdblock 25 in the normal operative position best seen in Figure 3, while,however, allowing upward swiveling of the front end or toe portion 3|thereof when required.

Through the intermediate inclined portions of bracket members 2| and 22a bell crank lever 32 is pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 33 extendingthrough both bracket members 2| and 22, this bell crank lever having adownwardly and rearwardly-extending arm 34 upon which is pivotallymounted a heel block 35 by means of a pivot pin 35 passing through thelower end 37 of lever arm 34 extending into a forwardlyopen slot 38 inthe heel block. At the lower portion slot 38 is cut rearwardly at anangle, as indicated at 39 in Figures 3 and 4, to provide clearance forthe lower end 3'! of lever arm 34 in order to allow the heel block toswing into the extending position shown in Figure 5. In the upwarddirection, slot 38 is cut rearwardly at 45, as best seen in Figures 3and 5, so that the block may swing forwardly into the position shown inFigure 4, the various positions assumed by the heel block facilitatingintroduction of the block into the heel portion 4| of a shoe 42 andreleasing the device therefrom, the side and rear portions of block 35being well rounded, as indicated at 43, to fit the interior of the heelportion 4| of the mentioned shoe. It is noted that the heel block 35 isdisposed at a slightly higher level than shoe block 25 previouslydescribed, so that the bottom 44 of the block will be locatedimmediately above the heel 45 of shoe 42 which is obviously higher thanthe sole 46 of said shoe.

In order to adjust heel block 35 according to the size of the shoe to beheld by the device, and also to be in a position to stretch the shoewhen required, as well as merely to hold it rigidly in position forcleaning and polishing the shoe, bell crank lever 32 has an upper shortarm 4! to the end of which is pivoted the yoke 48 by means of a pivotpin 49. Through the upper portion of the yoke extends a round extremity50 of a feed screw with an end flange or collar 52 fixed upon the endthereof within the yoke and a second collar or flange 53 fixed uponscrew 5| above the yoke in such fashion that rotation of the feed screwwill cause simultaneous rotation of the flanges or collars 52 and 53below and above the upper portion of the yoke. The feed screw extendsupwardly through an internallythreaded swivel block 54 and terminates adistance above the latter with a manually-operable wing handle 55secured upon the feed screw by means of a pin 55 and provided with thewings or finger pieces 51, 51 by which to rotate feed screw 5| at will.The swivel block 54 is provided on the opposite sides thereof with apair of aligned trunnions 58 extending through the upper sections of theinclined portions 2| and 22 of the bracket members so that swivel block54 is virtually rotatably mounted between bracket members 2| and 22.

The arrangement is such that by screwing down feed screw 5|, the uppershort arm 4'! of bell crank lever 32 will be rotated about pivot pin 33clockwise, thereby swinging the relatively longer lower arm 34 towardthe left and thus causing heel block 35 to approach the shoe block 25 toa sufficient extent to allow shoe block 25 to be introduced into thementioned shoe 42 and the forward toe portion 3| thereof thrustforwardly above sole 45 into the toe end 59 of the shoe virtually bymoving the shoe rearwardly upon the block with the heel 45 extendingrearwardly downward, and when the shoe block 25 is fully inserted, theheel portion 4| of the shoe is brought upwardly about heel block 35until the lower end 44 thereof engages upon the interior heel portion 50of the shoe above heel 45. While the shoe is thus held by the hand inposition, the adjusting screw 5| is rotated in reverse direction byupper handle 55 in such fashion as to raise the short arm 4'! of bellcrank lever 32, whereby the lower arm 34 of the bell crank lever ismoved rearwardly away from shoe block 25, causing the outer end 43 ofthe heel block 35 to engage against the interior of heel portion 4| ofthe shoe and simultaneously causing the shoe block to become tightlywedged in the forward portion 6| of shoe 42. As the bracket and the shoeand heel blocks, as well as the shoe 42 mounted thereon, thustemporarily form a rigid unit, it is a simple matter to brush off, shineand polish the shoe. Both hands are thus free to work in polishing theshoe, and the latter is held firmly without danger of slipping off orlosing position. If a pair of shoes are to be mounted as alreadydescribed in connection with shoe 42, and the same stored and not simplyheld for polishing and shining, a pair of brackets such as described inconnection with the mentioned shoe 42 may be used, and when each shoe isfirmly set into position on the blocks of each bracket, the shoe is heldperfectly straight and in tense condition so that by the time it hascooled off and then dried, or until it is again to be used, the shoewill have been fully restored to proper condition and shape. It islikewise true that if desired a shoe mounted upon the bracket may bestretched, as for example, after the shoes have been wet by rain or snowand thereafter have become stiif and perhaps have shrunk in addition, itis but necessary to mount each shoe on the bracket and by adjustingscrew 5| by means of handle 55, the shoe block and heel block may be soforcibly separated as to stretch the shoe back into shape and originallength due to the swinging of lower lever arm 35 away from theforwardly-located shoe block '25 by rotating feed screw or adjustingscrew 5| counter-clockwise, if it is assumed that it is a right-handscrew.

When the shoe is to be released from the device, clockwise rotation ofthe feed screw 5| by handle 55 will cause the yoke in which the lowerend 50 of adjusting screw 5| is rotatably mounted to rotate bell cranklever 32 clockwise, and as this causes the lower arm 34 thereof toapproach the shoe block 25, the distance between shoe block 35 and block25 will be decreased to a sufficient extent to allow the shoe heelportion 4| to be lowered away from heel block 35 when the shoe may besimply drawn forwardly off the shoe block 25.

While I have described the shoe block 25 and heel block 35 as made ofwood, they can also be made of plastic or metal, while the bracketmembers and the brace, as well as the bell crank lever and adjustingscrew and other appurtenances may preferably be made of metal, but inany event the principles of the device remain the same whatever materialis used for making the parts thereof.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may bemodified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A shoe support and stretcher including a bracket having means adaptedfor attachment to a wall and projecting forwardly and downwardly fromthe wall, a shoe-supporting block having a toe portion and mounted uponthe lower portion of the bracket with the toe portion adapted to extendinto the forward end of a shoe, a swivel block pivotally mounted uponthe bracket above and spaced from the shoe-supporting block mounting andhaving a threaded hole extending therethrough, a lever pivotally mountedat one portion thereof upon said bracket a distance from the swivelblock, a yoke pivotally mounted upon one end of the lever and having abearing hole in one portion thereof, a manually-operated adjusting screwextending through and meshing with the threaded hole in said swivelblock and having a lower end engaging rotatably in the bearing hole inthe yoke with means for retaining said lower end in association withsaid yoke, a heel block having a slot therein and pivotally mounted uponthe other end of said lever with the latter end extending into the slotin said heel block, and a handle on the other end of said adjustingscrew for manipulating the latter.

2. A shoe support and stretcher including a bracket comprising twobracket members spaced apart and having means adapted for attachment toa wall and projecting forwardly and downwardly from the wall, aforwardly-extending portion upon the lower end of each bracket member, ashoe-supporting block having a toe portion and pivotally mounted uponthe lower portions of the bracket members with the toe portion adaptedto extend into the forward end of a shoe, the shoe block having adownwardly and rearwardlyopen slot into which the forwardly-extendingend portions of the bracket members project, a swivel block pivotallymounted between the bracket members above and spaced from theshoe-supporting block mounting and having a threaded hole extendingtherethrough, a lever pivotally mounted at one portion thereof betweensaid bracket members a distance from the swivel block, a yoke pivotallymounted upon one end of the lever and having a bearing hole in oneportion thereof, a manually-operated adjusting screw extendingdownwardly through and meshing with the threaded hole in said swivelblock and having a lower end engaging rotatably in the bearing hole inthe yoke with means for retaining said lower end in association withsaid yoke, a heel block having a forwardly-open slot there in andpivotally mounted upon the other end of said lever with the latter endextending into the slot in said heel block, and a handleon the other orupper end of said adjusting screw for manipulating the latter.

3. A shoe support and stretcher including a bracket comprising twobracket members spaced apart and having means adapted for attachment toa wall and projecting forwardly and downwardly from the wall, aforwardly-extending portion upon the lower end of each bracket member, ashoe-supporting block having a toe portion and pivotally mounted uponthe lower portions of the bracket members in the rear portion of saidblock with the toe portion thereof adapted to extend into the forwardend of a shoe, said shoe block having a downwardly and rearwardly-openslot into which the forwardly-extending end portions of the bracketmembers project, a swivel block pivotally mounted between the bracketmembers, above and spaced from the shoe-supporting block mounting andhaving a threaded hole extending therethrough, a bell crank leverpivotally mounted at the angle portion thereof between said bracketmembers a distance from the swivel block having one arm disposedrearwardly above the other and the latter arm projecting rearwardlydownward, a yoke pivotally mounted upon the end of the first-mentionedarm of said bell crank lever and having a bearing hole in one portionthereof, a manually-operated adjusting screw extending downwardlythrough and meshing with the threaded hole in said swivel block andhaving a lower rotatable end engaging in the bearing hole in the yokewith means for retaining said lower end in association with said yoke, aheel block having a forwardlyopen slot therein and pivotally mountedupon the end of the last-mentioned or lower arm of said bell crank leverwith the end of the latter arm extending into the slot in said heelblock, and a handle on the other or upper end of said adjusting screwwhereby to manipulate the latter, and a rearwardly anddownwardly-inclined brace member secured at the upper end thereof to thebracket members intermediate the lug means and the swivel block and atthe lower rear end having a lug secured to said wall.

CLAUD E. DENTON.

No references cited.

